California Landscape Design

         In this era of Twitter, Instagram, crowdsourced logos and turnkey websites, it’s never been easier for the “solopreneur” landscape designer to project a professional image. But for a company of one, developing a unique brand that predisposes your perfect client to hire you also requires a deep understanding of your client and yourself.

         Whether you call it an ‘identity’ or a ‘personality’, a brand is really nothing more—or less—than a promise. It’s what your potential clients expect to gain from working with you, and the yardstick against which your current clients are measuring your efforts. Live up to that promise and your success is assured; break it, and your name is mud.

         Good customer service is something that everyone appreciates. It has been my experience that landscape designers and architects can get confused between the project they are working on and the client they are working for. At the end of the day, the client is going to pay the invoice, talk about how much they love their new space to their friends and family, and refer you to their colleagues and associates. Client care is the foundation to building and growing a successful and sustainable practice.

         The good news is that superior customer service is relatively easy, especially when you are clear about the types of clients and projects that are a good fit for you. This starts with your mission statement, your vision for your business, and your willingness to turn down projects that do not fall within your parameters.

         The second part of excellent customer service is about communication. Be consistent and reliable in all your communications with potential and current clients. Have a comprehensive contract and stick to it. When the unexpected happens, and as we know it always does, then communicate immediately with the client. Stay solution oriented. When you do not get a response from a client, follow up; emails get misplaced all the time. Never assume, ask questions, AND be sure to listen.

         Because a garden is a living and evolving space, we have the potential to work with the same clients over a number of years. I have had the pleasure of working with several families for more than a decade now. A successful and fun design practice can be built on a handful of really great clients.

1. Polygrids (or Coregravel available at APLD CA Gold Sponsor Lyngso).
“These honeycomb plastic grids are great for stabilizing gravel paths, patios and driveways. I love that it really helps keeping gravel where you want it and reduces the scattering effect.”

2. NDS Flo-Well
“This dry well is easy to install and a great solution for keeping storm water on site  & filtering water naturally back into the ground water tables.”

3. A. M. Leonard Stainless Steel Soil Knife “Such as great alternative to the traditional wooden handled Hori-Hori. These are harder to loose in the garden with their bright orange handles. I buy them in bulk for my maintenance crew.”

1. Quicker Clicker Mechanical Pencils
“I’m using only these now for drafting. They are much easier on my hands, plus they have an eraser and side clicker which is much easier to advance the lead.”

2. My Design Group (‘Bay Garden Gals’)
“We all graduated from Merritt College Hort Dept 10 years ago and have been meeting every other month ever since. So inspirational and helpful to my career.”

3. Stone Treads
“So beautiful and dang useful. I will often fill in the treads with low groundcovers (pictured) or with  ‘Nursery Crush’ gravel.”

1. Plant Master
(by GardenSoft, a long time APLD CA sponsor) “Such a time saver for building a plant palette and general plant research!”

1. Stone Universe cut stone pavers
“I constantly specify these natural stone pavers in ashlar pattern. They are so precise and install easily on a compacted base with polymeric sand in between.”  Available at Lyngso Garden Materials and Peninsula Building Materials (both APLD CA Sponsors).

2. Concrete Creations LA fire bowls
“I just love their 48” bowls with a 180K BTU burner (much higher than most) this creates a much warmer experience.”

3. Cercis ‘Rising Sun’
“Amazing leaf color – shades of orange, gold and yellow all at once.”

1. Razorsaw H200  
“This Japanese pruning saw is my current favorite tool. So amazingly sharp, I can prune with ease”.

2. My Lists – “I keep a binder of various lists that I’ve compiled over time. Some are general and some are very specific: ‘plants that never die’, ‘good plant combos’, and special palettes such as ‘Palo Alto Opal Garden’.”

3. Mahonia ‘Soft Caress’
“Amazing texture and super easy. This is my favorite plant for dry shade areas.”

1. Mark Concrete in Moss Landing
“They do beautiful custom outdoor kitchens, concrete counters, fire pits and planter boxes.”

2. Burlap Tree Wrap
“These 4” wide rolls of burlap are great for protecting tree trunks from sunburn. I especially like this for young fruit trees and espaliered trees when the trunks are exposed."

3. Pennisetum spathiolatum
“This small bunch grass blooms early, is drought tolerant, and really keeps its form. Great in mixed meadows – John Greenlee uses it as a backbone in many of his meadows.”

4. Soil Sampler
“I learned about it from my husband who is an arborist. He swears by it. He will be meeting with a client whose trees are failing and the client will say "but I water this tree a lot" and Kevin will check the soil with his soil sampler, and the soil is totally dry. Kevin doesn't trust the little meters that you can stick in the soil. He says the only was to know if there is enough or too much water in the soil, it to get a sample of the soil with the soil sampler. I use it often when I am helping clients figure out the timing for their controllers. My only word of caution when using it is to know where the inline emitter tubing is located in the soil because it you press the sampler into the ground too forcefully, you can put a small slit in the tubing. I know of no other way to reliably know how much moisture is in a root ball.”

1. Pea Gravel
“I just find good old 3/8” pea gravel to be the most economical and neutral of all permeable hardscape materials.”

2. Zip Level altimeter
“I can’t imagine doing a site measure without this fantastic tool. This tool paid for itself in the first year, with me hiring myself out to shoot elevations for other designers.”

3. Acacia fimbriata   
“I don’t understand why growers are not propagating this fantastic tree. It is as beautiful as Acacia cognata, but more upright. Perfect as an evergreen screening tree in small gardens.”

Deborah Christman
O.W.L. Landscapes
San Ramon, CA
APLD Bay Area District Member

1. Permaloc Aluminum Edging
“Such a nice clean edging that really holds up well over time.”

2. Hori Hori Knife
“My all-time favorite garden tool for weeding, transplanting and so much more.”

3. Arctostaphylos ‘Howard McMinn’
“I love this and other Arctos pruned sculpturally as a Japanese Maple substitute.”